One in a Thousand
by tentsubasa
Summary: Is there a chance, even one in a thousand of Kazuki Hihara finding love?
1. The Meeting

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Kiniro no Corda**_** or any affiliates**

**For the sake of this story, we're going to pretend that Kazuki Hihara is a junior in high school instead of a senior. Since **_**Primo Passo**_** took place in the fall, and school ends in the winter/spring in Japan, it would be impossible for me to set this story in the summer/fall if I didn't mess with his age somehow.**

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*Ding-a-ling*

"Welcome to Yamaokadou Bookstore!" Kahoko called out as she turned from shelving some books. "Huh? Hihara-senpai?" she cried in surprise as the tall, olive-green-haired boy walked into the bookstore.

"Kaho-chan?" Kazuki exclaimed, stopping short. "You work here?"

"Yeah, part-time for the summer...I need money for violin classes and other supplies, and I don't want to have to rely on my parents for it." She smiled up at him and explained, "When it comes to the violin, I want to go as far as I can on my own power."

He nodded. "I know what you mean. I pick up odd jobs from time to time when I need to buy things for my trumpet." He grinned, "Fortunately for me, trumpet maintenance is pretty basic and inexpensive, so I don't have to find work that often. Basically all I need to do is oil the valves and grease the slides; and valve oil and slide grease are pretty inexpensive. If I really need it to be cleaned, then I just take it to the store and get it acid washed for around 2500 yen." He grinned at her. "It's so convenient! I don't even need to grease and oil it that often—twice a week at the most."

"Really? You're so lucky~!" Kahoko cried. "I need to wipe down my violin after every time I use it, restring every so often, rehair the bow, the list goes on and on. Who knew maintaining a violin would be so involved?"

Kazuki looked overwhelmed just thinking about it. "Wow! That _is_ a lot!" He flashed her a grin. "It's great that you're taking this so seriously though."

"Yes, after all, I love the violin," she agreed. Noticing her supervisor eyeing her pointedly, she quickly asked, "So is there anything that I can help you with, Hihara-senpai?"

"Oh, right!" He thought for a second, trying to remember why he had entered the store. "Oh yeah, I'm supposed to pick up a book on ragtime music."

"Ragtime music?"

"Yeah, remember when I played Scott Joplin's _The Entertainer_ that one time in the park with Tsuchiura?"

Kahoko thought for a second before nodding as her eyes lit up. "Yes! It was such a fun, refreshing performance. Was that a ragtime song?"

"Yeah, it's an American music genre. It's kind of a mix of African syncopation and European classical music in some ways. I need to do a report on it for class, and there weren't any really useful books in the local library." He embarrassedly admitted, "If I had been smart, I would have picked up some books from the school library before the break started. But I was just so happy that summer vacation had come, so I forgot!"

"Ah…" she nodded understandingly.

He smiled. "I was in the music store downstairs and they suggested I look up here. Have you ever been down there? It's amazing!"

"Actually, one of the main reasons I started working here was because as an employee, I can use the practice rooms down there cheaply."

"Really? I didn't know that there were practice rooms down there!"

"You should go check them out. They're a little hard to find because they're tucked away in the back, but they're worth it."

"Sounds good. Maybe I'll go take a look after I find my book." Noticing the glare Kahoko's manager was sending her, he quickly said, "Uh, I'll go find my book now. I'll see you later, Kaho-chan!"

Having also noticed her supervisor's glare, she nodded in thanks and quickly got back to work.

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**I've actually had parts of this story sitting on my hard drive for a while, but I was having a lot of trouble tying the parts together. Eventually though, I figured I'd put it up and hope that by publishing it, I'd figure out some of the kinks.**

**This story as a whole is heavily influenced by the manga **_**Kitchen Princess**_**. This chapter is mostly inspired by part of _Secondo Passo_'s pilot, but later chapters have ideas that were ported over from _Kitchen Princess_.**

**I hope you like this chapter and the next!**

**Please review!**** Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!**


	2. Cakes Galore

**I'm sorry that this is getting out a little late. For some reason, the site wasn't accessible when I tried to upload this document. Well, on with the story.**

**To signal that someone is thinking something, I am going to italicize words inside of quotes.**

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"_He didn't have to be so mean about it!_" Kahoko thought miserably as she walked along the sidewalk, remembering the tongue lashing she had just received from her supervisor. "_I suppose I shouldn't have talked to Hihara-senpai for as long as I did, but he didn't have to make a federal case out of it!_" *sigh* "_At least this is my second-to-last time working with this supervisor. After all, school starts in a few days and my schedule will get busier._"

"Is something wrong Kaho-chan?" Kazuki joined her.

"Oh! Hihara-senpai! I didn't see you!" She smiled unconvincingly, "No, nothing's wrong…I was just thinking of something…that's all."

"Did something happen at work?" he asked solemnly.

"Ah…I just got scolded a little by my supervisor…it's not that big of a deal…"

"It must have been because I kept talking and wouldn't let you get back to work! I'm so sorry!" he cried in agitation.

"Please…don't worry about it Hihara-senpai! I should have excused myself earlier…"

"But…!"

Kahoko shook her head emphatically, dissuading him from further pursuit of blame.

"Well…" He paused guiltily. Then he got an idea and brightened up. "Do you have any plans right now?"

"Not in particular, why?"

"I have someplace I want to take you," he grinned. "Let's go!" He grabbed her wrist and pulled her along until they reached a small café.

"Hihara-senpai…?" She looked at him in askance.

"Welcome to our shop!" a cheerful girl greeted them. "Oh! Hello, it's nice to see you again," she said when she recognized Kazuki. As she seated them, she smiled at Kahoko and confided, "Your young man comes here often for the various sweets we have here. He'll take good care of you."

"Oh! We're not dating!" Kahoko quickly corrected.

"Oh!" she glanced quickly at Kazuki who embarrassedly shook his head in confirmation. "I'm sorry. Well, umm, what would you like?"

Kazuki ordered items left and right in a foreign language without bothering to look at the menu.

"Alright, I'll be right back with your order." The girl snapped closed her book and walked away.

"Uh…Hihara-senpai…what exactly did you order?"

"You'll see soon," he answered with a grin.

"Here's your food!" the waitress announced pushing a cart.

As the vast array of exquisitely beautiful sweets arrived at the table, Kahoko felt her eyes widen in amazement. The desserts seemed to sparkle before her eyes.

"Hihara-senpai, what's all this?"

"This café specializes in French desserts. I wanted to bring you here to cheer you up after you got scolded, and to show how sorry I am that I got you in trouble." He looked at her sheepishly. "Eat as much as you'd like." He winked at her good-naturedly.

"Hi-Hihara-senpai, this is really too much!" she protested. As she eyed the desserts though, she could feel her mouth salivating. They looked so tempting.

"Please, Kaho-chan. I really want to apologize properly to you, so please…" he begged.

"Oh…ok…Thank you for the food." She gingerly took a bite of the luscious strawberry mille feuille in front of her and closed her eyes in pure bliss. "It's delicious~!"

"Really? I'm so glad!" he beamed at her as he began to eat as well.

"Strawberry mille feuille is one of my favorite desserts. The flaky crust, tasty cream, and delicious strawberries complement each other so well."

"Really? If you like it that much, then please, eat as much of it as you like," he grinned, "I don't need any."

"I really couldn't…!"

"It's fine." He took another bite of his strawberry tart. "Did you know that mille feuille means one thousand leaves in French?"

"No, I've never taken French. Why's it called that?"

"It's because of the numerous flaky layers of crust."

"That makes a lot of sense. Who knew that I'd learn something new about my favorite sweet today?"

They both laughed.

"How do you know so much about cake, Hihara-senpai?"

"I don't actually," he laughed embarrassedly. "I discovered this place on accident a few months ago. After I got to know the wait staff and the baker, they taught me a little bit about the various desserts they carry here."

"It's neat that you actually know the people who work here. You must be quite a regular."

"I try to come once or twice every couple of weeks."

"He~h…you must've been able to try every dessert in this shop if you've been coming here that often."

"Actually, I think I hit that point the last time I was here," he admitted sheepishly.

They laughed and enjoyed their sweets together. They chatted about music, work, and their families, particularly sharing the woes of being the youngest child. Finally they managed to finish all of the desserts and had to figure out the bill.

"Please Hihara-senpai, I really do want to pay for my share…!"

"Nuh uh. If I don't treat you, it's not much of an apology now is it?" Kazuki paid the bill and grinned at her. "On to the next place!" he cheered, motioning the direction they were to take.

"Where are we going now, Hihara-senpai? I can't possibly eat another mouthful of cake!" Kahoko groaned.

"_Well…I probably could eat more cake, but I really shouldn't!_" she thought.

As they began to walk toward the next shop, Kahoko looked at her watch. "It's getting late, Hihara-senpai…I'm really sorry, but I should head home. Thank you so much for all the cake today! It was delicious. You really didn't have to go through all that trouble though…"

"It was my pleasure. Actually, our stop is on the way back. It won't take long, I promise. I just wanted to pick something up."

"OK," she agreed good-naturedly.

Kazuki quickly walked into a nearby store and soon walked out with a couple of boxes. When they arrived in front of her house, he handed her one of the boxes.

"What's this, Hihara-senpai?"

"They're tortes. If you're going to have Viennese desserts, tortes are the way to go. That store doesn't have any seating room, so this way, we can both have some and get you home on time."

"Hihara-senpai, this is really too much! I don't know how I can repay you for all of this!"

"Then don't," he replied kindly. "I just hope you've recovered from your work incident."

"I have, many times over. Thank you so much for inviting me to these shops. I would have never known about them if it weren't for your invitation today." She bowed gratefully. "I'll be sure to share the tortes with my family. Thank you so much Hihara-senpai."

"I'll see you around!"

"Yes! Bye!"

The two waved happily and parted ways.

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**Can you guess what my inspiration was? Those of you who are fans of **_**Kitchen Princess**_** probably already recognize one of the borrowed segments. This chapter is based off of Sora's date with Najika where he takes her out to try various kinds of sweets. Kazuki and Kahoko both really like sweets, and Kazuki loves pampering Kahoko, so I thought it would be a good little date for them to try. The second bit is a little more subtle, but it's when they're talking about the meaning of ****mille feuille****. When Akane is confessing to Daichi, she mentions that ****mille feuille**** means ****one thousand leaves****. Mille feuille will play a large part in this story later, so keep the meaning in mind. (^_^)**

**After this chapter, there is a bit of a time skip. I will upload the next chapter as soon as I can figure out how to tie chapters 2 and 3 together. (^_^)**

**Please review!**** Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!**


	3. The Mistake

**Ok! I finally figured out a little ditty to connect the two chapters. Hopefully it works alright for everyone.**

**kazuki****: Thank you for your review! I'm glad you like this story so far. Although…I'm not sure how much you'll like this chapter…You'll see why later.**

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Summer turned to autumn, and the leaves changed colors. The trees were covered with beautiful reds, oranges, golds, browns, and deep purples. But as time goes on, the leaves begin to fall. Unfortunately on this fall day, the connection between two friends would become as tenuous as those of the autumn leaves. It was a day that started with a surprising meeting.

"Hello, Hino-san," Azuma smiled as he met her in the hallway. "It's a lovely, autumn day, isn't it? The leaves have turned nicely this year."

"Yu-Yunoki-senpai! Uh, hello…yes, I guess they have." She paused for a second. "Umm…if you don't mind my asking, what brings you to the General Studies wing?"

"I came here to see you," he responded smoothly.

"Oh…uh…why?" she asked nervously.

"I was wondering if you have some time to spare after school. I have a little favor to ask of you, from the Student Council, actually."

"Oh…umm, I guess I can help you."

"Wonderful, then please meet me in front of the orchestra room."

- ( 9 - 9 ) -

"So we need to help set up for a concert?" Kahoko asked, handing Azuma another prepped poster for hanging.

"Yes, the Music Department puts on a concert and exhibition for the public a couple times a year. Usually it's held before summer vacation, but because of the concours, it was delayed until after the vacation. The school-wide concours is such a rare event after all."

"I see…Here's another one, Yunoki-senpai…"

"Hey" Ryoutaro called out in greeting. "Yunoki-senpai, Hino, why're you hanging up posters?" he asked as he strolled up.

"Ah! Tsuchiura-kun! Hello! How are you?" Kahoko smiled at her fellow General Studies Department student and former concours participant.

"We're hanging posters to advertise the Music Department's semi-annual concert and exhibition," Azuma replied.

"I think I remember hearing something about that. Do you need any help?" Ryoutaro gave Kahoko a sidelong glance, which she didn't notice.

"No, I think we have it under control," Azuma responded smoothly. He had seen the look Ryoutaro gave Kahoko, and had no intention of letting Ryoutaro cut into his time with Kahoko.

However, fate had other ideas.

"Yu-Yunoki-sama!" a girl shrieked, rounding the corner. "I've been looking all over for you!"

"What is it?" Azuma turned with a concerned look, waiting patiently as the girl panted, gasping for breath.

"The" *pant* "The copier!" *pant* "It's going spastic! The machine is violently spewing smeared papers all over the room! I…I think Makino-san did something to it! At this rate, we won't be able to get out the practice schedules and room assignments for the exhibition in time!"

"_How annoying…and what timing too. Well, as much as I don't want to leave them alone together, duty calls. I can't force Kahoko to wait for me in front of these two…_" Turning to Ryoutaro, he bowed graciously and requested that he help Kahoko hang up the rest of the fliers. He left with the girl, leaving the pair alone.

"That sounds like quite a mess in the copy room." Kahoko shook her head, placing some tape on the back of a poster. "I'm amazed that a fiasco like that is possible!"

Ryoutaro shrugged, reaching up to hang another poster. "Who knows…admittedly though, that machine _is_ getting kind of old, maybe something just shorted."

They laughed and continued to hang posters. When they had finished, he accompanied her back to the orchestra room to pick up her things.

"Excuse me for interrupting!" they both called as they swung open the door to the Orchestra room, having heard noises coming from inside.

"Kaho-chan! Tsuchiura! What're you two doing here?" Kazuki asked cheerfully, putting down the chairs he had been carrying.

"I left some things here earlier when I was helping Yunoki-senpai with some Student Council stuff, so I wanted to pick them up," Kahoko explained.

"Sounds good. Oh, hey, Tsuchiura, do you mind giving me a hand with these chairs?" Kazuki motioned to the stacks of chairs around the room. "I need to stack them against that wall over there."

"Of course, Hihara-senpai," Ryoutaro responded, picking up the closest stack and walking toward the far wall.

Kahoko smiled and turned to grab her bag and violin from their perch on the counter. "Huh?" she looked at the counter in confusion. Her bag was resting where she had left it, but her violin was gone!

"_Calm down, Kahoko_," she thought. "_Maybe it's around here somewhere._" But after searching high and low all over the room, she still couldn't find any trace of her violin.

"What's wrong, Kaho-chan?" Kazuki came up behind her with Ryoutaro following behind.

She bit her lip in distress. "I can't find my violin anywhere!"

"What? That's terrible! Where did you last leave it?" he yelped.

"I left it over on that counter near my bag, but when I looked, it wasn't there."

"Are you sure?" Ryoutaro asked. "Did you check the cabinets underneath, maybe it got put away by mistake?" He walked over and checked the cabinets. Turning to report a negative, he frowned suddenly. "Hihara-senpai, what's wrong?"

"Huh?" Kahoko turned and saw that all color had drained out of Kazuki's face as he stared at the counter in horror. "Hihara-senpai…?" She waved her hand in front of his face to get his attention.

When he came to, he faced her, trepidation filling his eyes. "Are…Are you absolutely sure that you put your violin case there?" he squeaked weakly.

Kahoko nodded, looking both concerned and confused at the same time.

He walked over to the piano bench and slumped down on it, holding his head in his hands. "What have I done? What have I done?" he moaned over and over. When he finally looked up at Kahoko, a pained look crossed his face. "Kaho-chan…It's gone…I'm so sorry…"

She blinked at him, not understanding. "_What does he mean that it's _gone_?_"

Ryoutaro lifted Kazuki up by his shirt angrily. "What do you mean, it's gone? How can it be gone? What did you do?"

Kazuki didn't even struggle, his shame was so great. "I…It was a mistake…I didn't realize that it wasn't for the instrument donation drive…"

"Instrument…donation…drive…?" she murmured, still not understanding what was happening.

"Every year around the time of the Music Department's exhibition, the Orchestra Club holds an instrument donation drive. People bring in broken instruments that they either can't afford to fix or just instruments that they don't use anymore, and donate them. The instruments get sent to various schools around the country for kids that want to learn music, but can't afford to have instruments…If they're broken, the company assesses whether it is worth it to repair the instrument or buy a new one, before sending it to the school…" He miserably met her eyes. "Today was the very last day for collection, and you accidentally placed your violin really close to the spot where all the other instruments for the drive were. I…I thought that it was for the drive, so I grabbed it and shipped it off with the rest of them…"

Kahoko's face blanched, understanding finally shining through the fog in her head.

"The truck came a couple of hours ago…They're probably long gone by now…" He got on the floor and bowed deeply. "I'm so sorry Kaho-chan! I've done an abominable thing!"

"My violin…is gone…?" she whispered, a sharp ache filling her heart.

"I'm so sorry!"

"Hey…there's…there's got to be a way to get it back right?" Ryoutaro asked slightly frantically. "It's not like we can't get it back…"

Kahoko looked at Kazuki in hope.

The hope in her eyes ripped Kazuki to shreds. He couldn't give her the answer she wanted. "I…I don't know if there's anything we can do…The truck has already made the delivery by now, and they may be getting packaged for shipping to who-knows-where as we speak…"

"No…!" she whimpered, tears cascading down her face as the last hope she held of getting her violin back disappeared. She fled from the room, sobbing her anguish.

"K-Kaho-chan!" Kazuki cried as he ran out the door after her.

She quickened her pace at the sound of his voice.

Just as he was about to speed up as well, he was immediately stopped. "L-let go of my arm Tsuchiura! I need to make sure she's ok!"

Hotly Ryoutaro replied, his eyes flashing in anger, "After what you did, do you have any right to talk to her?"

"But…But…it was an acci-" Kazuki started to protest, straining against Ryoutaro's vice grip on his arm.

"Do you think that just because it's an accident you're absolved of all guilt?" Ryoutaro cut him off. He fixed him with a firm, forceful look. "She doesn't want to talk to you. After what you've done, there's no way she'll listen to anything you say now anyway."

Kazuki stopped struggling, watching the hall door in agony. "_He's right…I can't deny anything he's said_," he thought.

Ryoutaro dropped Kazuki's arm in disgust. "I'm going to see if I can find her." He stormed down the hallway.

"_He's right…_" Kazuki thought dismally, looking at the ground in utter defeat. "_There's no way…she'll listen…to anything…I say now…_"

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**Poor Kazuki! I'm sorry you had to go through this, although I did warn you at the beginning of the chapter. But still!**

**So there is another **_**Kitchen Princess**_** scene in this story and that is…where Sora betrays Najika's trust and she runs off. Then when Sora tries to get a hold of her, Daichi tells him to get away from her because he hurt her. And when Sora says that he didn't mean to, Daichi scoffs and says that Najika won't listen to anything he says. So basically…that last scene right now.**

**The hardest part of this chapter for me was trying to figure out what in the world Kazuki could do on accident that would make Kahoko upset enough to not want to talk to him. Eventually, I thought of this. Losing her violin would be the most traumatic thing for her, minus killing a family member or something, which I refused to do.**

**Ryoutaro kind of reminds me of Daichi, so he was cast in Daichi's role, while Azuma was there mostly to provide a reason for why Kahoko didn't have her violin with her. After all, it would be difficult to do things like hang posters if you had to carry around a violin. And last but not least, I mentioned a Makino-san who messed up the copier. Her name came from Tsukushi Makino from **_**Hana Yori Dango**_**.**

**In the next chapter, will Kazuki be able to fix the situation?**

**Please review!**** Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!**


	4. Tears

**Good evening! Happy Thanksgiving! Well, if you're an American. Otherwise, happy Thursday to you!**

**No anonymous reviews today, so onward!**

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"_In the end, I couldn't find her…I wonder how she's doing…_" Ryoutaro thought sadly, walking through the front gate a few days later. Suddenly he saw a flash of red hair. "_There she is!_"

"Hino!" he called as he ran up to her.

At the sound of his voice, she stopped and turned, waiting for him to catch up.

"Are you doing alright?" he asked in concern. He kept his voice low.

She smiled sadly. "Hello, Tsuchiura-kun. I'm managing, I guess. I'm just trying to take things a day at a time…" She fell into a heavy silence.

It hurt him to see her this way. He placed a hand on her shoulder and held her eyes when she lifted up her head to look at him. "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to rely on me. I'm here for you."

She looked away and blinked away tears. "Thank you, Tsuchiura-kun."

He sighed. "I'll walk you to class."

- (-_-) -

*SIGH* "_I managed to get a list of all the different places Kaho-chan's violin could have gone, but so far I haven't had any luck finding it. Every single place I've called hasn't turned up any new leads…_" Kazuki heaved another heavy sigh, leaning against the park bench. "_I know it isn't the best solution, but maybe I should get her a new violin…If I take money out of my savings, I should be able to scrape up enough to replace it…Although…if I were in the same situation…would I want a new trumpet?_"

Before he could ponder the thought much longer, it was dismissed from his head by a loud cracking sound from behind him. Kazuki leapt from the bench to face the intruder.

"K-Kaho-chan?!"

Amber eyes met gold and she slowly and hesitantly bowed in greeting.

"A-Actually, I-I'm really glad you're here, Kaho-chan. I…uh…I-I've been meaning to talk to you about your violin…"

A pained look crossed her face.

Kazuki winced at the look. He felt like a slug. How could he have been so careless? It was his fault she was in so much pain. How had things gone so wrong?

She abruptly turned to leave, muttering, "Excuse me, Hihara-senpai, I need to go."

"W-Wait…!" he called out in desperation. He had to make things right between them; he just had to.

She stopped with her back facing him.

He licked his lips nervously. "_Here goes nothing._"

He called out, "Would…Would you allow me to replace your violin with a new one?" Hastily he added, "I mean…at least you'd be able to play again…" He couldn't stand to see her in pain, and the fact that he was the source of this pain made it all the more excruciating. He would do anything, absolutely anything to take away her pain and make her smile again.

Unfortunately, that was not it.

"_A new violin? How could I get a new violin?! How can he move on so quickly?! That violin was precious to me! There's not another like it in the world! It holds all the feelings I have for music and countless memories! It can't be replaced so easily! Lili gave me that violin! It opened up my horizons so much and made my world infinitely brighter._" She felt herself shake in anger and pain as hot tears fell from her eyes. "_That violin was my partner. There's no way it could ever be replaced!_"

She whirled around, tears glistening in the late afternoon sun. "That violin…can never be replaced. You don't understand anything, Hihara-senpai!" She turned and ran with all her might away from him, half-blinded by her tears. Eventually she tripped and stumbled by a tree. Wrapping her arms around her legs, she succumbed to her sorrow and anguish.

"'_That violin…can never be replaced. You don't understand anything, Hihara-senpai!'_" The voice echoed over and over again in his head as his eyes watched her run away from him. The scorn and pain in her voice rooting him to his spot. He sank to the ground, tears welling up in his eyes. "_What have I done…?_" In despair, he began to cry.

A thousand leaves seemed to fall all around him, as if the trees were weeping with him. But even a thousand tears would not be enough to wash away his regret.

He cried until he was spent. He lay on the ground, gasping for breath. Miserably, he sat up and looked at the leaves around him. "I need to fix this…" He pulled out his cell phone and began dialing. As he listened to the other phone ring, he knew that he would call until he found her violin.

It was the only way to make her smile again.

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**Oh dear…things got a whole lot worse for Kazuki in this chapter. I suppose Kahoko might be kind of overdramatic, but she's speaking in the heat of the moment.**

**I don't think I really had any sort of inspiration for this chapter. I just wanted them to be on worse terms, I suppose. (-_-; ) Wow…I feel like a mean person now…**

**What will happen to Kazuki next?**

**Please review!**** Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!**


	5. Phone Tag

**Good early morning! Thank you for those who have reviewed this story! And thanks to those who've added it to their favorites list. Both of these things make me so happy! (^_^)**

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"You've been pretty tired lately, haven't you Hihara," Azuma smiled a little indulgently at his friend who had just been woken from dozing off in class by the dismissal bell.

"Oh, yeah, I guess so…I've been running around a lot lately…" he mumbled.

"Oh? What have you been up to?"

"Calling various places, traveling to some of them…" Kazuki stretched to work some kinks out of his neck.

"How long have you been doing this?" Azuma asked in puzzlement.

"The last couple of weeks."

And they had been a stressful and tiring couple of weeks. Searching for Kahoko's violin consumed all of his time. He called people during every possible break he had, and had even gone travelling all weekend because there were a few places that didn't have the time to search through their stock for his one violin. The worst was seeing Kahoko at school though. She always stopped up short and turned away. The sadness and pain on her face wounded Kazuki worse than a lance through the heart.

"Why are you running yourself into the ground like this?" Azuma asked in curiosity.

"Well, you see…"

*buzz buzz*

"Oh, that's me," Kazuki mumbled, tiredly flipping his phone open. It was a number that he had called a couple of days previous. He straightened up in hope. Maybe they had found something! Shooting out of his seat, grabbed his schoolbag and rushed out of the room. As he left, he called out over his shoulder to Azuma, "Sorry, Yunoki! I'll explain later! See you next week!" He then turned to the phone and began to talk to someone. "Hello? ...Yes, this is he…"

Azuma blinked once slowly to process what had just happened. He had a gut feeling that this unusual behavior had something to do with a certain red-haired violinist. He glanced at his watch as he packed up his things. He would need to hurry if he didn't want to be late.

After leaving Azuma, Kazuki quickly hurried to a small garden area near the classroom. It would give him the privacy he needed. He sat down so he could better concentrate on the call. "Hello? Are you there still? ...Oh good. What did you find out about the violin? …Really? It's there? You're sure? ...Thank you! You don't know how much this means to me! Where are you located? ...In Shizuoka? ...Yes, that's not too far. I'll catch a train out there as soon as I can. Thank you so much! I'm forever indebted to you!"

Running as quickly as his feet could carry him, he ran to the train station and hopped on the first train to Shizuoka. "_Thank goodness they found it! And Shizuoka isn't terribly far away either. I mean, at least it didn't end up in Hokkaido or something!_" He settled into his seat, glad that he had finally managed his task. Suddenly he straightened up. "_I forgot to tell Kaho-chan that I found her violin!_"

Quickly he walked over to an area in between the train cars to make his phone call.

*Ring R-* The phone cut off. He frowned and looked at his phone. "_The signal is good. I wonder why it cut off. I guess I'll try again._"

*Ring R-* It cut off again. He tried a third time. *Ring R-* Again, the call cut off. He scratched his head and looked at his phone in confusion. "_I guess I'll try sending a text message…_"

When he had returned to his seat, he quickly punched out, "Hi Kaho-chan, I found your violin. I'm on my way to Shizuoka to get it now. See you later. –Hihara," and sent it. A text quickly came back. He eagerly opened it.

"We are sorry, but your text message was not able to be delivered because the number you are trying to contact has blocked you," the message read.

His heart sank. She had blocked his number. She was that upset. How had he managed to alienate the girl he loved so effectively?

"How am I supposed to get her violin back to her if she won't even talk to me?" he asked himself dejectedly.

"_Maybe if I call one of the other contestants…!_"

He dialed Ryoutaro's number.

Busy.

Azuma's number.

"Hello."

"Yunoki, I have a favor-"

"I will be out of the country for the weekend, so please leave your name and a brief message and I will get back to you when I return. Thank you. Good bye."

Kazuki flinched. "_Great a recording!_" He hung up.

He tried Ryoutaro's number again.

Busy.

Ousaki-senpai's number?

Off.

Ryoutaro again?

Off.

"This is unbelievable!" he moaned, staring at his phone. No one whose number he knew could help him, and he didn't know any of the other contestants' numbers. "Why do I have such rotten luck?" he muttered. "First I accidentally lose Kaho-chan's violin, then I make her even more upset at me by opening my big mouth…" As the words left his mouth, he fell silent, the scene in the park playing in his mind's eye.

"'_That violin can never be replaced. You don't understand anything, Hihara-senpai!'_" He looked down at his phone, sadly rereading his returned text message. "_Why did I ask her about replacing her violin? How could I have been so insensitive? If I had just lost my trumpet, getting a new one would be the last thing on my mind, at least for a little bit. Just like my trumpet is a part of me, her violin is a part of her. You don't get over the pain that easily…_" He leaned back in his chair and gazed out the window at the passing fields. "_Before I said that, I think Kaho-chan understood that I had made a mistake. It was a huge mistake, so she was hurt, but I'm sure that she was doing her best to find it in her heart to believe in me. That's just the kind of person she is. Returning her violin will rectify that mistake, but I have to apologize properly for hurting her in the park too._" He fiddled around with his hair. "_But what can I do…?_" For a few minutes, he stared at the passing scenery as he wracked his brain for a solution. Suddenly, he sat up as if inspired. "_A song! I can write a song for her!_"

He grinned and took out his paper and blank score sheets from his schoolbag. "This is going to be the best song ever!" he murmured happily to himself.

* * *

**Yay! We ended with a happy note this time! I've been abusing poor Kazuki so much in this story that he really needed a break.**

**Shizuoka is a prefecture that's located southwest of Tokyo. It's bordered by Mt. Fuji to the north. Hokkaido, on the other hand, is the northern-most island of Japan. It takes like, a day to get there by train from Tokyo, I think. I hear that the train goes through a tunnel underwater though, so that's pretty cool.**

**In the next chapter, I wonder what kind of song Kazuki will write.**

**Please review!**** Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!**


	6. Advice

**Good evening! Thank you for those who have reviewed this story! And thanks to those who've added it to their favorites list. Both of these things make me so happy! (^_^)**

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"We will soon be arriving at Shizuoka Station. If this is your stop, please prepare to disembark. We will soon be arriving at Shizuoka Station." The announcement rang throughout the train.

"What? We're already here? Ugh…" Kazuki groaned in response to the announcement. He quickly cleaned up the messy pile of failed compositions and headed toward the door.

After he switched to a local train, he looked ruefully at his bag as he stood holding one of the rings coming from the ceiling. "_I forgot how difficult it was to compose a song…I don't know if I'll be able to finish it before I give her back her violin! Argh! Why does this have to be so difficult?_" He furrowed his brow in determination. "_I'll just need to keep working at it. I can't give up!_"

The rest of the way he composed in his head, but none of his compositions were any good. Frustrated and discouraged, he arrived at the school.

"Excuse me," he called, sliding open a door to the teachers' office room, "Is there a Tamura-sensei here?"

"Yes, that's me," a kindly-looking, young man stood up. "You must be Hihara-san. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to get your violin."

"Thank you, sir," Kazuki replied gratefully.

The two walked along quietly, Kazuki engrossed completely in trying to compose the perfect song while Tamura-sensei wondered what could possibly be troubling the youth.

"This is our music room," Tamura-sensei announced as he slid open a door.

Kazuki broke out of his reverie and looked up. "Wow! This is really impressive for a country middle school!"

"Yes, we're very fortunate. Thanks to donations that come in, we're able to have instruments for almost all of the children who need them. We try not to look it, but many of the school's elective programs like music are practically run on donations." He opened a cabinet to get Kahoko's violin. "Normally we only need fraction-size violins, because we've received many full-size violins in the past, but we were one short this year, which is why your violin was sent here. I'm really sorry that you had to go through all this trouble to get it back." He handed Kazuki the violin.

"Ah…It's OK…It was my fault. It's actually my friend's violin, and I accidentally sent it off with the rest of them," Kazuki explained ashamedly. He looked sadly at the violin. "Well…Thank you for helping me. I guess I'll be on my way." He bowed. "I'm sorry for any inconveniences I've caused."

As Kazuki turned to leave, Tamura-sensei hesitantly asked, "Hihara-san…Is there something wrong? I know it may be none of my business, but as a teacher, I can't help but want to help a student in need…"

Kazuki paused, one hand on the door.

Tamura-sensei smiled kindly at his back. "I have a feeling that something else related to your friend is weighing heavily on your mind. After all, if it were simply this matter of the violin, then returning it to him should fix the problem."

He smiled sadly, looking at the ground, violin in one hand and trumpet in the other. "I…I said some things I shouldn't have… and I ended up insulting her as a musician…" His eyes darkened in anger at himself. "I unintentionally belittled her bond with her instrument," he turned to look at Tamura-sensei, "And now I don't know how to apologize."

Tamura-sensei nodded slowly. "That's pretty tough…Did you by any chance offer to give her a new violin to replace the one you lost?" He smiled sympathetically at the boy. "If that were the case, I could see how she would be very upset with you, especially if it were not long after the incident."

Kazuki nodded miserably. "I was thinking that I'd try composing and playing a song to show her how sorry I am, but nothing I compose seems to be any good." He fidgeted a little in agitation. "At this rate, I won't be able to finish it before I return her violin! I…I don't want to wreck our friendship over my thoughtless insensitivity…"

Tamura-sensei's heart went out to the boy. In some ways, he reminded him of himself a few years before. "Your composing idea is very good, but it can be very difficult to do in short, fixed amount of time. Very rarely can ideas be translated into compositions quickly. Your desire to apologize is strong, but just like words, sometimes even strong emotions can't be translated easily and clearly." He looked at Kazuki thoughtfully. "I don't know if this will help, but I can tell you how I apologized to my girlfriend the first time I messed up really badly."

Kazuki looked up hopefully. Maybe there would be something that he could use.

He smiled a little thinking about her. "She really loves sweets, so I baked her favorite sweet and brought it to her. Like music, when you pour your feelings into food you cook, it gets conveyed to the recipient." He chuckled. "It was also probably impressive because I knew almost nothing about cooking at that time." He smiled at Kazuki. "She was able to see and taste my sincerity. What do you think?"

"That seems like a pretty good idea," Kazuki admitted. He grinned. "My train leaves tomorrow morning, so I guess I could try that." His face fell. "But…I have no place where I could cook…and I don't know the first thing about cooking, or where I'd get a recipe to make mille feuille…"

"Your girlfriend's favorite dessert is mille feuille?"

"She's not my girlfriend…she's just a friend…"

Tamura-sensei smiled knowingly. "I see." Anyone could tell that he cared for this girl. He continued, "We offer Home Economics to our students, so we do have a kitchen here. Why don't you use that? If I'm supervising you and we don't use the school's ingredient supply then it will be alright." He smiled encouragingly. "Those are one of my girlfriend's favorite desserts too, so I can teach you how to make one. Do you know how to bake?"

"No…not at all…" Kazuki admitted sheepishly.

Tamura-sensei looked thoughtful. "Alright, then we'll go with a simpler recipe."

"Thank you so much!" Kazuki yelled as he bowed deeply. He had regained his spirit.

"It's fine. You don't have to bow so deeply. Like I said, a teacher is always glad to help," he laughed.

"Alright! Lead the way!" Kazuki beamed, following Tamura-sensei out of the classroom.

- (^_^)v -

*Ding Dong*

"Hello?" Kahoko's mother pulled the door open.

"Uh, he-hello ma'am," Kazuki stuttered. "I…umm…well…err…is…is Kaho-chan home?"

"Yes, she is, would you like me to call her down?"

"Uh, no, it's alright…If…If you could just give her these things for me, then I'd appreciate it." He bowed quickly, handing her the violin case and a small box.

"Well, if you're sure…"

"I am. Thank you very much ma'am. I hope you'll have a good night." He bowed and turned to leave.

"Umm…excuse me, but what is your name?"

"Oh!" Kazuki abruptly turned around, blushing at his rudeness. "I'm Kazuki Hihara, a friend of Kaho-chan's from school. I'm so sorry! I can't believe I forgot to introduce myself! Please forgive my rudeness!"

Kahoko's mother nodded in acknowledgement. "Well, Hihara-san…" She paused for a second to choose her words. "I suppose it may not be my business, but I think you should give Kahoko her violin yourself." She held it up. "This is hers, isn't it? I noticed that she hasn't had it for a while, and that she's been quite miserable without it." She looked at him pointedly before softening her expression. "My daughter isn't one to hold grudges, I'm sure she'll forgive you."

Kazuki nodded and hesitantly took back the items. "Ex-Excuse me for intruding…" he stated as he bowed.

She nodded and motioned to the staircase across the living room. "Her door is to the left."

He slowly took off his shoes and walked across the living room. The stairs seemed to swim before his eyes as he mounted each one deliberately, a feeling of dread coming over him. He finally arrived at her door. He stared at it for ages, unsure of his next move. Finally, he took a deep breath. "_Be brave Kazuki. If you love her, then believe that she can forgive you. You don't have to be afraid of her. Believe that your feelings will reach her._" He raised his hand, and knocked.

* * *

**I wonder how things will work out for him? Hopefully well, although if I'm in a mean mood, maybe they won't work out so great. We'll see.**

**So, in the end, Kazuki didn't end up writing a song. This was actually my intention from the beginning. Just like how Sora from **_**Kitchen Princess**_** made mille crepes to try and win back Najika, Kazuki made a mille feuille to try and win back Kahoko. I guess this makes Tamura-sensei a much nicer and less lazy version of Fujita-san. *laughs* As cool and sweet an original song would be for an apology, I didn't think it was realistic for him to pull one together in that short amount of time. If you have a recipe, you can make food that tastes good, but compositions aren't really the same way. It's kind of like being given a bunch of foundations and tools and being told, "Ok, go make something new." I doubt it's something that's pulled together in a few hours.**

**In the next chapter, the moment of truth; what will happen when he faces her?**

**Please review!**** Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!**


	7. The Apology

**Good evening! Sorry for the **_**extremely**_** late update. I've got a lot of excuses for why it's so late, but only one sort-of decent reason.**

**I was originally working really hard so I could post updates for my two stories on Kazuki's birthday (December 12), but then I realized as I kept writing that things weren't turning out so great for him. So instead, I postponed his pain for a little longer. And since December 12 was the last day before my new job started, I've spent every free hour after that recuperating from the transition to a working stiff.**

**Yeah, so life got busy, and I had ridiculous writer's block, and I stubbornly refused to do much with any of my stories until I could at least figure out something for this one.**

**Thank you, thank you, thank you for those who have reviewed this story! And thanks to those who've added it to their favorites list. Both of these things make me so happy! (^_^)**

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"Go away Sis, I'm trying to study!" Kahoko called out in a slightly exasperated voice.

"Uh, actually…it's me…Hihara…" Kazuki replied nervously.

At his response, all sound coming from the room ceased.

After a few moments of uncomfortably stifling silence, he worked up his courage and cleared his throat. "I'm…" he took a deep breath and earnestly watched the door. "I'm sorry for coming here unannounced, but uh, well, I-I have something for you…" He shifted the items slightly, preparing himself. "You see, I found your violin, so I-"

*SLAM* Her door flew open so quickly, it banged into the wall next to it. The violence of the action caused him to jump backward, startled.

"You found my violin? ! !" she exclaimed, wide-eyed, hair slightly disarrayed.

Kazuki blinked a couple of times in shock before managing to recover from his surprise and nod mutely. Gingerly, he handed it to her.

Kahoko took it eagerly, opening the case. "My violin…!" she cried, overjoyed when she saw it. She hugged it to her chest tightly before quickly tuning it and playing a quick warm up.

Watching her play with that expression on her face cut him to the core. Her music cried out the longing and melancholy that had plagued her life since her separation from her precious instrument. He almost felt as if he hadn't had to suffer enough to pay for his crimes. For a few more moments, he watched her play, both mesmerized and tortured by the performance, before finally turning to leave the crimson-haired artist in peace.

As she moved seamlessly from a warm-up to the opening strains of her most recent practice piece, she relished the feel of the music around her. Everything felt right in the world again. The feel of the violin on her shoulder and the bow in her hand soothed the yearning in her heart. As the last note lingered in the air, she slowly opened her eyes, still slightly entranced with the reunion.

Remembering the olive-green-haired boy, she turned to thank him. "Hihara-" she started, but he was gone. She frowned and started to walk out of her room when her foot lightly brushed something. She looked down and spied a small box that had her name on it, and picked it up.

"_What's this? A sweet smell?_" She opened it and cried in delight—a beautiful mille feuille seemed to sparkle before her eyes. Just as she was about to reach for the sweet, she noticed a small envelope tucked away behind the dessert. Placing the box on the floor, she opened the card and read,

"Dear Kaho-chan,

I hope you enjoy this mille feuille. I guess again, it's being used as an apology, but this apology is different. Actually, when I went to get your violin from Shizuoka, I met up with a teacher there. He suggested that I make you something to show you how I feel. I tried composing a song to convey my feelings to you, but nothing I composed was good enough, so I thought this might be the next best way. It took all night, but I finally managed to produce this. Like I told you before, mille feuille means one thousand leaves, so I put my one thousand feelings into it. I hope it will be able to communicate them to you.

-Hihara "

She placed the card down on the floor and carefully picked up the dessert. If what he said was true, he had put a lot of work into this little sweet, so she needed to make sure that his efforts were not wasted by paying special attention to his creation. She examined it for a few seconds, admiring how well it had been put together, before carefully taking a bite out of it. "_A gentle and honest taste…_" An image of falling leaves filled her vision. "_Mille feuille, or one thousand leaves…Hihara-senpai…you _did_ understand my feelings at that time, didn't you? Is that why you've made this for me?_" Tears began to fill her eyes as the flavor spread across her tongue. As the mellow sweetness continued to diffuse over her tongue, the image of falling leaves dissolved into falling teardrops, reminiscent of the tears both of them had shed after their chance meeting that day. "_I'm so glad you understood…senpai…but…_" she thought sadly, "_How much pain must you be in? I said such horrible things to you…_" Morosely she looked at her violin and her mille feuille. "_I have to find him! I can't let him continue to suffer on account of me!_"

"Hi-Hihara-senpai?" Kahoko called as she hurried down the stairs, looking for him. "Mom, is he still here? ?"

"I'm sorry, honey, Hihara-san left awhile ago." Her mother turned her face away from the pot of soup simmering on the stove at her daughter's agitated voice. "Is something wrong?"

"Uh, no…" she responded distractedly, running back upstairs to grab a scarf. "I…I'll be back later!" she called as she ran out the door. As she rushed down the street, only one thought raced through her mind: she had to find him. She had to let him know that his feelings had been conveyed. She continued to hurry aimlessly down the street, her head swiveling from right to left at random intervals. She just had to find him!

Before long, she found herself running through the park. *CRACK* The loudness of a stick breaking beneath her foot caused her to pause for a second, just in time for a flash of olive green to catch her eye. "_Wait…I think that might be Hihara-senpai!_"

"Hihara-senpai!" she called as she ran over to him.

He turned his head and stood up to meet her. "Kaho-chan…?" he looked surprised to see her.

"Hihara-senpai…" she panted, coming to a stop in front of him.

"Kaho-chan…I…" he bowed deeply. "Kaho-chan…" He was at a loss for words.

"Hihara-senpai…please, you don't…" she protested.

"Kaho-chan…will you forgive me for what I said that day? Is…Is there any chance of regaining your friendship? Even one in a thousand? Please, tell me truthfully…"

"Hihara-senpai…" she whispered, torn by his anguish. "Please raise your head. I forgive you; of course we can be friends again. I'm…I'm so sorry for all the pain I've put you through. You've done so much for me Hihara-senpai...and yet I treated you so badly…" She bit her lip, unsure of what to say. As she prepared to berate herself further, she licked her lips. As her tongue savored a bit of cream that was on her lip, she felt herself calm down suddenly, a smile tugging at her lips. She had almost forgotten what she had come here to do: to thank him and let him know that his feelings had been conveyed. "It was the best mille feuille I've ever eaten Hihara-senpai. Thank you…" she hesitated, "Will you forgive me? I've hurt you a lot over these past weeks." She smiled a bit ironically and repeated his previous question. For some reason she liked the sound of it. "Is there any chance for me to gain your forgiveness? Even one in a thousand?"

He looked up at her gratefully, amusement briefly playing in his eyes at how she had turned his question back on itself. With a grin, he replied, "Of course."

As they smiled quietly at each other, glad that they had managed to patch up their relationship after weeks of not being able to face one another, the wind picked up. They watched in wonder and delight as the leaves danced upon the air around them. Sometimes they twisted and twirled and at other times they simply floated lazily, fluttering daintily and gliding across an invisible dance floor. His eyes drifted to her smiling face. "_Kaho-chan…_" The dancing leaves reminded him of her. The red ones were her hair and the golden ones her eyes. The brown leaves reminded him of her music: warm, lively, beautiful, and refreshing.

"I love you…" he whispered into the wind.

"Hmm? Sorry, did you say something Hihara-senpai?" Kahoko turned to smile questioningly at him, the innocence in her gaze disarming him.

Kazuki gulped and met her eyes.

As their eyes met, she felt her breath catch at the intensity of his amber gaze.

"I…I love you, Kaho-chan," he repeated. The depth of his gaze spoke volumes of the feelings he had for her.

Despite being whispered, the words rang in Kahoko's ears, loud and true. She felt her heartbeat accelerate.

"I have for a while now, ever since last year, between the second and third selections…" he confessed. As the two looked at each other, a thousand leaves seemed to swirl around them as if encasing them in their own little world. He gazed at her earnestly. There had been no response from the lady, so he would have to ask. He nervously stuffed his hand in his jacket pockets before murmuring, "Kaho-chan…is-is there any chance of you liking me?" He uttered their catch phrase again. "Even one in a thousand?"

Time stood still for what seemed like an eternity as they stood together. Thought after thought raced through her head. So much was happening all at once. There were too many things going on. She couldn't get a grasp on it. Finally, Kahoko dropped her gaze.

"I…I'm sorry, Hihara-senpai…I…can't answer that question right now."

He nodded quietly and smiled a little sadly. "It's alright. At least you know." He looked away for a moment to gather his resolve. It hadn't been an outright rejection, but it had felt like one. But of course, masochist that he was, he couldn't completely give up, not quite yet. He walked over to her and bent down so he could look straight at her. "I…I can wait. No matter how long it may take, I'm willing to wait. I…" he gulped, "You…you don't have to love me back," he managed to whisper. "I…I just couldn't hide it anymore." He awkwardly shifted his eyes away from hers before looking back at her. "If you ever need anything, I'm always here for you. Remember that."

"Thank you," she whispered. Despite the delicate situation she found herself in, she felt strengthened by his honest, heart-felt words.

* * *

**Ohh…that's…that's…poor Kazuki… ( ; _ ; ) Now you see why I didn't want to post something like this up on his birthday! By the time December 12 rolled around, I had the majority of this chapter drafted, so I knew things would turn out this way.**

**This scene is based off of a scene in **_**Kitchen Princess**_** where Akane confesses her feelings for Daichi and he rejects them. My scene has two saving graces. One is that Kahoko didn't outright reject his feelings; he just kind of felt like she had. The other is that she didn't tell him that she loved someone else!**

**Since things ended off so badly, they can only get better in the next chapter, right? At least…that is the hope. I think the next chapter will probably be the last or second-to-last chapter.**

**Please review!**** Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!**


	8. A Thousand Feelings

**Hello! Sorry for the late update. It's kind of funny, I finally managed to carve out time in my schedule for writing, and had intended to get a lot of a chapter for "The Journey" pounded out, but somehow this one got written instead. Oh well.**

**Thank you, thank you, thank you for those who have reviewed this story! And thanks to those who've added it to their favorites list. Both of these things make me so happy! (^_^) We're on the home stretch now!**

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"Good night, Kaho-chan." Kazuki smiled at her, a slight hint of sadness in his eyes as he stood, looking down at her by her front door. "I hope you'll sleep well. See you on Monday."

"Good night, Hihara-senpai." She looked down at her feet bashfully and whispered, "Thank you again for everything." She bit her lip and lifted her head back up when she didn't hear him move right away.

They paused for a second, looking at each other significantly, before Kazuki turned to walk away. Kahoko closed the door and wandered up to her room.

*sigh* She closed the door and put her violin away absent-mindedly, still contemplating Kazuki's confession.

"'_I love you, Kaho-chan…'_" His words went around and around in her head. "_He loves me…He's loved me since last year…How did I not even know?_" She sighed again and turned more of her attention to her violin. She had dashed out of the house so quickly that she had foolishly forgotten to put it away properly. As she half-heartedly cleaned it, she remembered her conversation with Kazuki about violin maintenance.

*flashback*

"Fortunately for me, trumpet maintenance is pretty basic and inexpensive, so I don't have to find work that often. Basically all I need to do is oil the valves and grease the slides; and valve oil and slide grease are pretty inexpensive. If I really need it to be cleaned, then I just take it to the store and get it acid washed for around 2500 yen." He grinned at her. "It's so convenient! I don't even need to grease and oil it that often—twice a week at the most."

"Really? You're so lucky~!" she cried. "I need to wipe down my violin after every time I use it, restring every so often, rehair the bow, the list goes on and on. Who knew maintaining a violin would be so involved?"

He looked overwhelmed just thinking about it. "Wow! That _is_ a lot!" He flashed her a grin. "It's great that you're taking this so seriously though."

"Yes, after all, I love the violin."

*end flashback*

She shook her head to clear it. It wouldn't do to be distracted. What if she accidently forgot to do something? It had been awhile since she last cleaned her violin after all. After she finally finished taking care of her violin, she turned to clean up her mille feuille. As she picked it up, the sweet scent filled her nostrils. She had originally planned to eat the rest tomorrow, but she couldn't resist the delectable temptation. She lifted it to her lips and took a bite.

*flashback*

"'_Like I told you before, __mille feuille__ means one thousand leaves, so I put my thousand feelings into it. I hope this will be able to communicate them to you.'_"

*end flashback*

She paused for a second, a little confused. "_How weird, I thought I heard Hihara-senpai's voice…_" She shrugged it off and took another bite.

*flashback*

"'_When I went to get your violin from Shizuoka, I met up with a teacher there. He suggested that I make you something to show you how I feel._ _It took all night, but I finally managed to produce this.'_"

*end flashback*

She cocked her head to the side. Again she heard his voice. She looked at her mille feuille for a second. Putting it down momentarily, she clapped her hands together and bowed her head over them. "Thank you for the food," she whispered, before picking it up again, a bit more reverently. She took her time before partaking. He had poured a lot of time and energy in this, so she needed to make sure she appreciated every morsel.

As she lifted the confection to her lips again, she thought, "_A thousand feelings…I had thought they were of regret for what had passed between us previously, but…now I think that may have only been one of the thousand._"

Another bite.

*flashback*

She was playing her violin in a practice room as Shouji-san accompanied with Mori-san giving Shouji-san things to note as she played. Over the loudspeaker, Gustav Holst's _Jupiter, The Bringer of Jollity_ from _The Planet's Op. 32_ rang out, filling her with strength and courage. His feelings of encouragement bolstered her spirits, making her work even harder.

As she reflected on the time she had spent with the boy, she thought, "_Hihara-senpai was the first person who told me to enjoy music. He's been helping me for a long time now._" She held out a long note, pouring more of herself into it."_I want to perform in response to his encouragement!_" She closed her eyes momentarily."_Thank you for always being with me, Hihara-senpai._"

*end flashback*

She paused, lowering her hands and her food to her lap. "_That was at the final selection._" She looked over at a picture of the concours' participants at the end of the competition. As her eyes fell on a familiar olive-green-haired trumpeter, she felt a rush of gratitude and affection for her senpai."_Hihara-senpai has always been there for me, hasn't he?_" Her heart felt warm as she lifted the treat back to her lips.

Another bite.

*flashback*

They were sitting at a small outdoor café, eating an elegant, fruity, French dessert. She thought his question about what music cake was most like was a little strange, but she supposed that music students never had music far from their minds, even when eating something as scrumptious as this. She happily went to spear another piece when he suddenly spoke.

"I'll be performing for an important person in the final selection."

"_Huh?_" She paused and looked up at him, but he seemed to be looking at her cake.

"For the sake of the person I want to cheer on, for that important person to cheer up," he looked up into her eyes, "I'll continue music."

She felt her eyes widen slightly. "Hihara-senpai…" She didn't know why, but something about the serious expression on his face as he delivered his confession made her heart beat a little faster.

"For some reason, I wanted to tell you that…" He gave her a soft smile. "Let's both do our best, ok?"

*end flashback*

She paused mid-chew as a thought struck her like a flash of lightning. "_Senpai...was that important person me? You play the way you do for me?_" She put down the mille feuille, trying to process this new revelation."_Hihara-senpai…_" She didn't know what to think. His music was for _her_.

With slightly trembling fingers, she took another bite, unsure of what new feelings would be disclosed.

*flashback*

The two of them were sitting on opposing benches on the rooftop, hair blowing in the breeze.

Kazuki rested his chin on his hands, looking at her with a quiet, yet intense gaze. "Kaho-chan, you're really doing your best, aren't you?"

She inclined her head slightly, looking at the ground. "I'm still far from it. I need to do better."

With a grin, he abruptly stood, announcing exuberantly, "In that case, I, Kazuki Hihara, shall present you with my performance!" and began to play.

Kahoko looked at him blankly for a second. "Hi-Hihara-senpai…?"

As he played, he thought, "_I can't do anything else but this but, but if you'll become a little bit more cheerful…if my music cheers you up…_"

She felt herself smile as his music filled her with encouragement and strength to keep trying to improve.

"_I want to make the people that are important to me happy. That's my music. Kaho-chan!_"

*end flashback*

"_That was before the final selection after he told me about his friend Yuu…Hihara-senpai's music really gave me a lot of strength at that time. I remember the warm feeling I received._" She looked tenderly down at the remains of his gift. Even then he had been playing for her.

Another bite.

Visions of Kazuki's heavyheartedness whenever she was having a hard time came to her mind. "_Senpai…you were that worried about me? That was why you were so sad? I never realized…_" She sadly looked at the mille feuille, feeling like a terrible friend. She had been so self-absorbed that she hadn't even noticed the depression her friend and senpai had been experiencing. As the flavor lingered on her tongue a little longer, she felt overwhelmed by a new realization. "_My joy is his joy, and my sorrows are his too._" Furiously blushing, she took her next bite, not sure how much longer she wanted to dwell on _that_ particular discovery.

The scene that unfurled before her was when she had consulted him about quitting the violin. She smiled sadly as she chewed. He had given her terrible advice, but if the revelations of the previous bite had anything to say about it, he had more than paid for it. She frowned slightly, wracking her memories for a second, before coming to a somewhat surprising conclusion—he had been the only one she had talked to about it of her own free will; all of the others had forced confrontations with her. Since she could hold the last of the dessert in one hand, she rubbed her arm with the other. "_I've never had much trouble sharing my thoughts and feelings with Hihara-senpai. He's just so easy to confide in. Things are…comfortable with him in a way they aren't with anyone else, even Tsuchiura-kun, despite the fact that he's a General Studies' student like me._"

She solemnly looked at the last morsel of homemade mille feuille. One last memory and revelation—what would it be this time? As she finished the last bite, a familiar scene at the park washing area unfolded before her eyes.

*flashback*

"Kaho-chan…"

Her eyes widened as she looked at him with a surprised expression on her face.

His face turned beet-red. "I-it sounds c-cuter that way, don't you think?" Somehow, he managed to decrease the amount of red on his face before continuing his rambling. "Yeah! 'Kaho-chan' sounds a lot cuter, doesn't it…?" Looking a bit embarrassed and slightly nervous, he looked at the ground and added, "Ah…I guess you probably don't want me to call you that…"

She felt her cheeks gain a slightly pink tinge. "No…it's not that…" she replied a bit uncertainly.

He timidly started off, "Well, if you'd like," he looked more serious, "You can call me, "Kazuki-senpai."

*flashback*

Her face turned a distinct crimson. "_I guess Sakimoto-san was right…So that's when he started really liking me? No wonder he wanted me to call him by his first name. Ah…so much to take in!_"

She distractedly licked the last of the cream off of her fingers.

As she closed her eyes to savor the flavor that lingered on her tongue, images of Kazuki's smiling face flashed before her eyes. Despite her consternation, she felt herself smile as warmth and peace flooded over her. After finishing his gift, she realized that in some ways, she had already known that he loved her, but she had misinterpreted his affections and actions as friendship and not love. She knew that she was definitely fond of him, and considered him a good friend, but did she feel anything more?

She looked at her violin case and then at the note for a few minutes, pondering that question. Finally, she smiled and headed downstairs. She had something she needed to do.

* * *

**Ah, almost finished. One more chapter, and then we're done! Hooray!**

**Don't get me wrong, I like writing, but I hate having stories hanging over my head. Soon there will be one less. =D**

**All of the flashback scenes, with the exception of the first three which occurred earlier in this story, were from various sections of the anime. I was too lazy to check the Japanese, so I just copied down the subtitles. They're usually right.**

**Please review!**** Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!**


	9. A Thousand Leaves of Love

**Hello! Good evening! Here is the final chapter of "One in a Thousand!" Thank you all for reading, reviewing, and adding this to your favorites and story alerts!**

**For those of you wondering what's happening with "The Journey," I'm still working on it, but since this one was so close to completion, I figured I'd finish this one off before going back to it.**

**Now without further ado, here is the final chapter of "One in a Thousand."**

* * *

"Kaho-chan! I got here as soon as I could! What's up?" Kazuki stopped to catch his breath, slightly winded from running all the way from his house to the park. After the disaster at the park the afternoon before, the last thing he expected was a call from her the following morning asking him to meet her there.

"I have something for you." Kahoko smiled as she offered him a small box.

"Oh!" He looked surprised and a little confused, but couldn't help but be pleased nonetheless. After all, it wasn't every day that she gave him something. "Thanks!" He cautiously grinned and took the box from her. He was relieved that despite the awkwardness of the previous afternoon, she still seemed willing to be on good terms. He opened the box and peered inside. "A mille feuille?" He looked at her in askance.

"Will you eat it?"

He nodded and took a bite. Mid-chew his eyes widened in disbelief. Quickly swallowing, his heart beat thudding in his ears, he asked haltingly, almost afraid to voice his racing thoughts, "Kaho-chan…what…?"

She looked down at his shoes and blushed. "I…I did a lot of thinking yesterday…and…well…I guess I was wondering…" Gold eyes met amber. "Would…umm…would you allow me to call you…" She took a deep breath before murmuring, "'Kazuki-senpai'?"

He was rendered speechless at her request. Had he heard her right? She wanted to call him by his first name? Something that he thought would never, ever happen, especially after the events of the previous day? Could this really be happening?

The longer he stared mutely at her, the more uneasy she felt, her heart sinking further with each passing second. She bit her lip. "_I guess some things can't be taken back after they've been said. Senpai…if I could go back in time, I would have given you a different answer yesterday, but I guess it isn't meant to be…_"

She sadly whispered, "I guess I can't…"

Kazuki immediately snapped out of his fog. He couldn't let this chance escape from him! "NO! I mean, YES! No, wait, I mean...I mean…" he fumbled around for words, making a complete fool of himself. Putting down her mille feuille, he grabbed both of her hands and looked intently into her eyes. It seemed best to start over. "I would like nothing better than for you to call me that, Kaho-chan."

"Really?" she asked shyly, peering up at him under her lashes.

He nodded a couple of times and looked at her earnestly, "Really." Suddenly realizing that he was holding her hands, he felt blood rush to his face and quickly dropped them, pulling his palms back toward his chest as if he were planning to hide behind them as he took half a step backward. "Sorry!" he blurted out, flustered. "I…I didn't mean to be so forward."

Kahoko felt herself blush too. Biting her lip, she urged herself to step forward, bravely closing the gap between them. Feeling slightly foolish for being so nervous, she took a deep breath and turned her head slightly away, staring at the mille feuille as if the meaning of life were spelled out in the powdered sugar that dusted its top, before quietly confessing, "I…I really don't mind…"

He started at her words, surprised. His eyes quickly flicked across her face, taking in the distinct shade of crimson that covered her features, before tentatively lowering his hands to his side. With a gulp, he began to nervously fidget, not quite sure how to phrase his next sentence. Gazing at her with a shy, admiring, tender smile, he stammered, "If…if you're free right now," he paused to lick his lips, closing his eyes to mentally prepare himself, "Would…"

"Would…?" she prodded hopefully, looking up at him with expectant eyes.

He couldn't take it anymore. "Would you like to go see that new movie and get something to eat? ?" he burst out, the words seeming to stumble over each other in their rush to get out of his mouth.

Cringing at how unromantic his first attempt at asking a girl out on a date had turned out, he covered his face with his hands, flushing in shame and embarrassment. "_Argh! Why am I so bad at this? ! That was totally uncool and unromantic! ! I can't I ever catch a break! Gah! I'm such an idiot!_"

*giggle*

He peeked through his fingers to see her smiling warmly up at him.

"I'd love to," she responded.

"R-really? !" he yelled, grabbing her shoulders. "You-you really want to?"

With a pretty blush on her cheeks, she smiled and nodded.

Whooping for joy, Kazuki jumped up and punched the air in victory as Kahoko looked on and laughed, feeling girlishly pleased. Turning back to her, he held out his hand with a warm look in his eyes. "Shall we?"

Demurely she placed her right hand on his left. When he closed his fingers around hers, she heard herself let out a small gasp of surprise. Her hand it felt so small in his large one. Unlike her soft hands, his possessed a firmness wrought by countless hours of playing the trumpet and playing basketball; his broad, strong fingers wrapped themselves protectively around her thin, delicate ones.

Kazuki smoothed his thumb over the back of her hand for a couple of seconds, relishing the sensation that warmed him like nothing else, insulating him completely from the cool autumn air. With a smile he motioned with his head and they began to walk toward town.

Mille feuille in one hand, and the love of his life's hand in the other, Kazuki felt his heart swell with happiness and contentment. When he had confessed, he knew that there was probably less than one chance in a thousand that she would like him back. He glanced at the box before grinning at the girl by his side. Who knew that it would be a thousand leaves that would bring them together?

* * *

**Yay! It's kind of short, but hopefully it was sweet. But more importantly, it's FINALLY **_**DONE**_**! Cha-ching! Whoo-hoo! Huzzah! I finally finished my second chaptered story! ! ! (The first was a Fuyuumi x Shimizu story called, "The Seventh Day of the Seventh Month.") Oh! And this is my first completed Kazuki Hihara x Kahoko Hino chaptered story! ! Yay! !**

**Please review!**** Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!**


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